Blog

Bronx native Lisa Leone has come a long way. I met Lisa back in 2005 as one of the co-stars of the cult classic film Just For Kicks, which she co-directed. My experience on set with Lisa was such a pleasure, I gave her a pair of vintage fat laces from my old school stash as a [...]

30 years ago this month, Bruce Springsteen was literally "Boss." Bruce's smash hit 'Born in the U.S.A.' off his seventh studio album of the same name was the anthem in the summer of '84 and still sounds as spirited and relevant as ever. Although Nuyorican blood flows through these veins, much like Bruce, [...]

In the spirit of the World Cup, and for all of my doc-heads out there, I highly recommend the incredibly well-crafted and compelling documentary, 'The Two Escobars,' by award-winning Director Jeff Zimbalist ('Favela Rising') & Michael Zimbalist. The film first aired in 2010 as part of ESPN's critically acclaimed 30 for 30 documentary series [...]

The 2014 World Cup is here and as you can imagine, football fever is in full effect. The millions of soccer fans around the world waited four years to get their big football fix and now it's here. Arguably dwarfing any other sporting event in the world, including our biggest football event, the Superbowl, the World [...]

A great read by my good friends at Wax Poetics Magazine. 1995's 'Liquid Swords' album by the GZA was perfect...period. And what old-school Kung-Fu head didn't appreciate all the great 'Shogun Assassin' samples that blessed the album? The GZA's track-by-track commentary in David Ma's piece gives us a greater understanding and appreciation for one of [...]

Back in 1983, Hip-Hop could do no wrong. Testament to this statement would be Charlie Ahearn's film "Wild Style." The videos "Buffalo Gals" and "(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew." And Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force‘s “Looking For The Perfect Beat” record. In the latest installment of Red Bull Music Academy‘s “beat:repeat NYC” video series, [...]

It's hard to believe that this year Hungarian inventor and architect Erno Rubik's best-selling puzzle, the Rubik's Cube turns 40! Erno's cube was first launched in 1974 in Budapest and since its international release in 1980, the popular puzzle has sold an estimated 350 million units worldwide. Among other things, the cube is probably best known [...]

Back in 1986, I walked into Stan's Records on Bergen Avenue in Jersey City to peep the latest rap offerings. I quickly spyed the EP "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz" by rap's newest rhymer on the scene, Biz Markie. The cover of the EP featured an animated Biz jumping in a [...]

During the 1980s, the Reagan administration’s “Just Say No” drug campaign seemed like a promising idea in theory and made for some great, free tees and buttons, but in practice, the initiative failed miserably. When it came to the drug game, there was just too much money to be made (in the streets and [...]

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of one of Hip-Hop’s favorite films – Beat Street. Released on June 6, 1984, Beat Street was based on an original story by former High Times editor Steven Hager and was produced by Harry Belafonte and David V. Picker. Veteran producer and director Stan Lathan –actress Sanaa [...]